Wine pairing for smoked fish?

I'd go for either Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. Basically white with acidity. The toughest will be the chopped herring, really a wine killer (matjes herring is comparatively mild).Maybe an inexpensive sparkler, like a petillant chenin blanc?

Interested in others' ideas. Hope your New Year was good.

Riesling Riesling Riesling. Off-dry or bone dry should be excellent.

Mark Lipton

Riesling sounds like it would work. I'm not big on SBs, though maybe I just haven't found one I like.

New year was fine. I'm in the temple choir and we were in pretty good voice. I smoked brisket for 14 for Rosh Hashanah dinner. Paired it with a 2001 Newton unfiltered merlot, which worked pretty well.

Jon

Mark, Any recommendations for an off-dry Riesling? Something under $25 would work.

Jon

Any sparkling wine is quite good with smoked fish. Nicholas Feullatte Meshaval and several kosher Proseccos come to mind as well.

I recently had the '06 Schloss Vollrads Kabinett, which was definitely in the off-dry mode. A bit low in acid for my tastes, but still a nice wine and well under your budget limit. Various QbA bottlings will also qualify, such as Dr. Loosen's "Dr. L" Riesling (I really liked his '05). Most Spätlesen (and, increasingly, many Kabinetts) will be off-dry to most tastes.

Mark Lipton

Has everyone forgotten good COFFEE for breakfast?

Godzilla

"Zeppo" skrev i melding news: snipped-for-privacy@mid.individual.net...

Beer will be the best choice if you get European beer. (Around here what normally goes for beer in the US is not considered worthy of the name... (But there are some good micro breweries, I've heard)) Aquavit is optional - sounds like you'd want an Aalborg from Denmark.

I don't see Riesling as a prime choice - but it could actually work.. Perhaps a 'halbtrocken' or a 'feinherb' from Germany (semi-dry or slightly sweet) Anders

I agree with the Riesling suggestions, but only because it would do no harm. How about something a little higher in alcohol (more body) and with great acidity? How about a Chenin Blanc? A Vourvray? Never tried the pairing, but sounds good to me.

Evan

I meant "Vouvray". Long day, bady typing...

Evan

For fish that has been smoked, cured, or otherwise processed to make it different from strictly fresh fish, a good choice would be very dry Sherry. Fino or Manzanilla should work for many processed fish. Even a bone dry Oloroso might be used for a very strong tasting processed fish - but not the more common Oloroso often sold in the US and UK that often is sweet and sometimes is labeled cream for some of the more sticky versions. Bourgougne Aligote can be sharp enough to stand up to smoked fish.

I am just mentioning some wines that others like with fish. I nearly never eat processed fish, including smoked salmon. I say feed it to the cat and bring on shellfish such as lobster or shrimp. I lived in the central US when young and had far too much fish, especially ocean fish, that was at least several days old or that had been frozen months before it was thawed and cooked. I can't remember ever ordering fish when eating out.

You might try a verdicchio. It has more body and acidity than a SB. At least what I am drinking now does (homemade from a WineExpert kit). I don't know well it would go with your menu but I think it has a chance.

Smoky, salt and vinegary call for something indestructible: Riesling or Gruner Veltliner. For riesling: Marcel Deiss 2005. For gruner veltliner: Buchegger "Holzgasse", Kremstal 2006. Both under $25.

Mark Slater

Coffee (not sure if it will be GOOD coffee) will certainly be served. With the 6 or 7 deserts (not counting the fresh fruit) that are normally part of this gathering.

Jon

Mark, I'm confused. Does off-dry cover everything from slightly sweet through desert wines? The few Kabinett's I've experienced were extremely sweet.

I had an '05 Dr. Pauly Bergweiler Bernkasteler Badstube Kabinett a few weeks ago that was very sweet (and very good). Would this be considered off-dry?

Jon

Be careful not to confuse the fruitiness of the Riesling grape with sweetness (sugar).

I remember having some Yummy Kipper in London some years ago. More memorable was the Kipper that was part of the breakfast at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong. Both places served mediocre coffee, however. It is difficult to tolerate almost any restaurant coffee anymore since I have been roasting my own for the last half dozen years.

The traditional Yom Kippur greeting in Israel is "gmar hatiMA toVA" (caps = emphasis). The literal translation is "may you have a good final signature", but the figurative meaning is "may God accept your pleas for forgiveness and wipe your slate clean."

Godzilla

To help resolve the difference between sweetness and fruitiness, taste the wine while holding your nose.

If it is sweet, you'll still be able to tell. But this will block most of the fruity flavors.

As most winos use the term, off-dry is something that isn't dry but also not overtly sweet. It's the same territory covered by the French word demi-sec and the German halbtrocken. The problem is that perceived sweetness depends on several different factors, including acidity and sugar levels, so it's not easy to translate to a number. I don't know of the Kabinett you had, so I don't know if we simply have differing sensitivities to sweetness, or that you had a particularly sweet example (which would probably mean a low-acid wine). In the modern era, most Kabinetts I've tried have been relatively dry wines, well suited to service with food.

Mark Lipton